Piano Sonatas Vol.2

Alexander Melnikov (piano)

Met dit nieuwe deel heeft Alexandre Melnikov ervoor gekozen om in drie verschillende periodes van de carrière van de componist te duiken, gaande van de oogverblindende, maar zelden gehoorde nummer 4 tot de magistrale nummer 9. Daartussenin, de sonate nr. 7 roept opnieuw de onrustige sfeer op die kenmerkend is voor de drie zogenaamde ‘oorlogsonates’. Sviatoslav Richter beweerde het stuk in slechts vier dagen te hebben geleerd.

Prokofiev:
 Piano Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op. 29
 Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat major, Op. 83
 Piano Sonata No. 9 in C major, Op. 103

“This first volume in the complete cycle must already be given pride of place in the discography.”
Classica Magazine - Choc Classica

"The second instalment of Melnikov’s Prokofiev sonatas covers a kaleidoscope of temperaments...For all its vacillations, something in Melnikov’s choice of colours conveys an overall feeling of austerity and looming danger that is not quite like anyone else’s vision...Few pianists have come this close to Richter in making such a strong case for [Nos. 4 & 9]."
Gramophone Magazine - November 2019

"Intent on modifying the composer’s sardonic nature, he gives us Prokofiev with a human face, less armed with a porcupine’s quills and spines. You won’t hear Richter’s remorseless drive in the Fourth Sonata’s finale, with its strained gaiety and abandon, and you miss the dark and heavy tread in the Andante assai. Greater success comes in the Ninth Sonata. (by its whimsy and caprice), Melnikov is deft in the abrupt scales of the Allegro strepitoso and sinks gratefully into temporary repose in the Andante tranquillo."
International Piano - January 2020

"[7th Sonata] his reading, which is quite riveting, lies in the wider range of expression he derives from the music. He brings his talent for color to the fore, and everything is so clear and articulate that the usual frontal assault isn’t missed. The lyrical second subject is handled Romantically, reminding us that Prokofiev loved to employ strongly contrasted moods even in movements that include turmoil; he was rarely monochromatic."
Fanfare - Jul/Aug 2020